Victims of persistent anti-social behaviour (ASB) have the right to request a case review in certain circumstances.
The ‘Community Trigger’ process (also known as an ASB case review) is part of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
The Community Trigger is used to review specific cases. A review panel looks at actions that have been taken as a result of anti-social incidents being reported. The aim is to make sure that appropriate levels of enforcement and support are either in place, or have been considered.
When can the Community Trigger be used?
The Community Trigger can be used if you (as the individual victim) have done both of the following:
- Complained to us (Wrexham County Borough Council), North Wales Police, a registered landlord or the health board, about at least three incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour in a six month period.
- Reported each of these incidents within one month of the incident occurring.
The trigger should be used if you believe your complaint has not been appropriately addressed or no action has been taken. The trigger cannot be used to report general acts of crime, including hate crime or anti-social behaviour.
A Community Trigger case review is not a complaints procedure. If you want to make a complaint about an individual’s conduct, you must use the complaints procedure of that individual’s specific organisation. We have a complaints and compliments page if you wish to make a complaint related to the council.
Who can request a Community Trigger?
Any victim who has reported three incidents of anti-social behaviour within a six month period can request a case review.
Case reviews can also be requested by a third party, such as:
- an MP, MS or local councillor
- a community group
- a carer for a vulnerable person or someone whose disabilities would prevent them from making the request themselves.
The victim will need to provide written consent for the third party to do this on their behalf.
How to request a Community Trigger
You can request a case review by filling in our online form and providing the following details:
- Dates of each time you have complained to the listed authorities, or dates of the victims complaints if you are requesting as a third party
- Details of where/to who you have complained to (name, organisation, reference number), or details of the victims complaints if you are requesting as a third party
- Information about the anti-social behaviour
Request a Community Trigger case review
What happens after I request a Community Trigger?
A member of our community safety team will contact you within 5 working days to confirm we have received your application. They may ask you to provide further details if needed, and let you know if it will go to a review panel.
A panel of officers from relevant organisations will review your case, providing it meets the set out criteria. The panel will look at the issues you have reported and any action that was taken. They will decide if the action was adequate based on reasonable expectations and timescales. Finally, they may make recommendations for further action to be taken to try and resolve the problem. The review panel will meet no later than 28 days from your Community Trigger application.
We will send you a response explaining the action taken and suggestions on how to resolve the anti-social behaviour.
If, for any reason, your case does not go to a review panel, the issues may be referred to the most suitable organisation for further consideration. You cannot request a case review again unless new incidents have taken place since you were told that the case would not be considered by a review panel.
Contact us
If you are unsure if your case is suitable for a Community Trigger you can email communitysafety@wrexham.gov.uk for advice.